313

The backstory of this album is interesting. This is the fifth album by the band lead by the American composer Phideaux Xavier (who also happens to be a TV director), in which all of the band members are people he grew up with. The album was a project to make an entire album in a single day. On March 13 in 2004 - the date from which the album got its name - 13 songs were composed and recorded. They were however shelved until 2005, when the songs were more polished, and the album was released on March 13 in 2006, exactly two years after the recordings. As an additional piece of trivia, the album artwork was made by one of Phideaux's childhood friends.

While the true masterpiece of Phideaux is undoubtedly "Doomsday Afternoon", closely followed by "Number Seven" and "Snowtorch", this album is my personal favorite from him. There is a distinction one should make between "the best" and "favorite", that being the personal connection you have to something. Obviously, all the songs on "313" were composed and recorded in one single day, not leaving much room for the same kind of complex song structures and deep lyrical themes as found on "Doomsday Afternoon" and "Number Seven". In exchange however, the album has so much personality and raw emotion found on few other albums. It explores lyrical themes that nobody else would think of. I think looking at some of the album titles proves my point - "Have You Hugged Your Robot?", "A Storm Of Cats" and "Run Singing Tiger" perfectly show the sweet quirkiness of the album.

The album does not fall short on musical value either. Phideaux has developed their own characteristic sound, which Phideaux Xavier describes as "psychedelic progressive gothic rock". It is very symphonic, making use of lots of piano and synths, and gets pretty dark and sensitive in some places. He sings using pretty much his normal voice like Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits, but he still manages to sound emotional. Phideaux makes heavy use of female vocals, something I think prog needs more of in general. What impresses me the most is that I would never assume that the entire album was composed in one single day. It does not sound improvised in the slightest.

Now for the songs themselves. 13 is a pretty high amount of songs for a 48-minute prog album, but I will review all of them, although I will keep it brief for the most part.

"Railyard" (3:32) is a heavy, dark yet beautiful opener carried by the piano and the captivating lyrics. The occasional synth sounds creates a mystical setting, and the female vocals are beautifully executed. A sample from the lyrics that particularly fills me with emotion is "There's a train at the end of the railyard, it is standing abandoned alone; the vines and graffiti are growing, the words have found their home".

"Have You Hugged Your Robot" (3:08) is a really playful, more energetic tune. It is shown by lyrics like "Robot, answer my call; Nobody knows what it's like in the virtual", as well as the conveniently added robot voice and beeping, like an early sci-fi film from the early 1900s. I love how they use a slightly altered melody of "The Hall Of The Mountain King" in the intro.

"A Storm Of Cats" (2:34) has a similar approach as the opener but is less heavy and has a more warm, cozy mood. The lyrics begin soft and playful, but take a violent turn in the end with "When all my cats were gathered together, and we did go to the potting shed; A violence so awful I cannot remember, The stems and the petals, 'A twisted and dead". The lyrics seem to be about a character living on a farm learning about their own mortality by communicating with their cats.

"Never Gonna Go" (3:43) is the one song that introduced me to Phideaux and remains one of my favorites from him to this day. This song is probably the darkest on the album, both lyrically and musically. It begins with an expressive guitar tune that is reminiscent of the characteristic saxophone melody from "21st Century Schizoid Man" and its lyrics seem to be about some kind of spirit trapped in a cathedral and being exploited by the priests: "I can't be the one to free them, I am a puppet of the priests; There's no escape, they trapped me like some domesticated beast". Seriously, I could write an entire essay about the different lyrical themes on this album. Simply an excellent song.

"Pyramid" (4:13) might be the proggiest tune on the album, switching between time signatures including odd ones. The song is founded upon a dark, spacey soundscape created by synth effects, piano and a reverberating guitar, as well as distorted vocals in the verses. This is another song where the female vocals play a big role. While the music itself is pretty dark, the lyrics are actually really hopeful. It seems to be about a relationship between two soulmates, demonstrated by the opening lyrics "I always thought that it was true, I always thought that you had been there too among the million bits of sand; everyday I come for you, I'll be there in your dreams and you'll be there with me too". One of the best songs on the album in my opinion.

"There's Only One Of You" (2:37) is a pretty short tune. The song is once again built around the piano and is further characterized by melodic drumming on the cymbals and soothing female vocals. The lyrics seem to be a continuation of the theme of the previous song, this time being about loneliness. Since the lyrics are pretty short, I can really not be sure, but I think it is about a heart-wrenching breakup.

"Orangutan" (2:57) is one of the few songs that has made me cry out of sadness for real. Its message is very obvious - it is about the orangutan facing extinction and getting its home devastated. The personal way it is delivered, like "They say that you will be extinct by 2085, because the place that is your space will no longer be wild" just brings a tear to my eye every time I listen to it, not to mention the closing lyric "They say that you and I will walk together miles forever; They say that you and I we share a vine that can't be severed".

"Sick Of Me" (5:41) is my favorite track on the entire album. It delivers the emotion like no other songs on the album, both in the lyrics and the music. Probably one of the more proggier tracks on the album, it features a more dynamic range of instruments and a big change in tempo about two thirds through. It even sees a comeback of the robot voice at the end of the song. The lyrics seem to be about a desperate, insecure form of love: "You think I'm so wonderful, it won't be long; I don't belong in your company". Just begin listening to this song and you will probably be motivated to listen to the entire album.

"In Search Of Bitter Ore" (4:03) is a bit of a creepy tune with muffled drums that sound like they are being played in another room and cryptic lyrics that are hard to decipher: "Saints forgive me, I have chosen to wander with the wind; beside the ragged nasturtiums, I have fasted but for them". If I have to guess, it is about some religious pilgrimage, but the song is very sparse in lyrics, so I can only assume. This song is probably the closest to what you would call a filler track of all the songs on the album, which does not mean in any way that it is a bad song.

"Body To Space" (5:33) is, as the name implies, a spacey song. The title is taken from the finishing lyrics from the opening track: "Gravity take me and pull me away, my body to space". It mostly features mellow synth soundscapes and elements from other songs on the album. Almost entirely instrumental, the only lyrics are a continuation of "A Storm Of Cats": "I was there, your dear cat faithful, up the tree by the potting shed; Aye, but I was so very careful, nobody knew I saw what they did".

"Watching Machine" (2:27) takes a very wild turn. This is the most energetic tune on the album where the crunchy bass in particular shines. The song is seasoned with creepy synth sounds and a weird rhythmic scratching sound (?) in the background. As the very aptly named title suggests, the song seems to be about a dystopian surveillance state: "Now the walls have eyes, isn't that great? Once there was a choice, but now it's too late". The chaotic music itself captures the paranoia as you walk down the street constantly being watched.

"Run Singing Tiger" (3:37) demonstrates the "anything goes" feeling of the album really well. It has no meaning or depth other than a running, singing tiger, and I cannot spot any analogies either: "Run singing tiger like you've never run before; Run if you want to, right across the floor". The song itself slaps pretty hard though, built around a delightful wurlitzer piano and featuring some good guitar solos. My favorite part of the song and one of my favorite moments on the entire album is how they use the lyrics from Jefferson Airplane's "Good Shepherd" - "One for Paul, one for Silas, one for Julie" - but replace all the "one"s with "run".

"Benediction" (4:05) perfectly finishes the album off with an atmospheric, meditative track only using an acoustic piano, cymbals and what I assume is a digging sound in the background. One of my favorite lyrics on the album appears on this song: "We cheat the death that night will bring by everyday awakening". They even repeat the sacred hindu syllable "Aum" in harmony throughout the song.

This was a very long review, but probably my most favorite of all the reviews I have ever done. Being the very first neo-prog album that I got into (even if it is on the more accessible side of the spectrum), and the album being one of my favorites of all time when it comes to the lyrics, my personal connections to this album are obviously very strong. Despite my bias, I can say that I recommend it for anybody looking for a fun, emotional music journey that does not fail to satisfy your ear for song quality either. I especially recommend it for people who are looking for female vocals in prog, because I know there is a high demand and low supply for that.

9,5/10 for me.